MAYOR IN IVORY PARK FOR ELECTRICITY CHALLENGES

The recently elected Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Mpho Moerane, visited Ivory Park on Saturday, 9th of October 2021.

The Mayor was accompanied by his members of the mayoral committee. Present were MMC Eunice Mgcina, MMC Margaret Arnolds, MMC Thomas Mofokeng and MMC of Finance, Matshidiso Mfikoe.

The focus of the program was in the Wards of 78, 79, 80, 92 and 111, one of the Key Service Delivery issues identified being Electricity Supply.

As part of the ‘Accelated Service Delivery’ in the City, the CoJ leadership fixed street lights and engaged communities about the dangers of illegal connections.

Residents of Ivory Park shared their frustrations of prolonged electricity blackouts by Eskom with Mayor Moerane, in their appeal for a speedy resolution.

The Accelerated Service Delivery programme was taken to Ivory Park and Rabie Ridge following complaints of up to 40 Eskom transformers currently damaged and left unrepaired for as much as 5 months in the area.

“The complaints expressed by residents relate to Eskom’s failure to respond to residents’ customer service queries and not attend to reports of either vandalised or damaged transformers as a result of overloading also attributed to illegal connections in the area” said Mayor Moerane.

The Mayor explained to residents that the main course of the damage to the transformers was also overloading due to properties with backroom tenants serviced by a transformer with a limited capacity.

Residents also complained of the affordability of the R6,000.00 reconnection fee demanded by Eskom from them. They indicated that Eskom ignored their plight and are only given attention when they March to its head office in Megawatt Park.

The City is in talks with Eskom to takeover the electricity supply through the municipal power utility, City Power in areas such as Ivory Park.